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ARC Review: The Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon

Posted in 2 hearts, Reviews by

The Billionaire Bachelor by Jessica Lemmon
Series: Billionaire Bad Boys #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Indecent Proposal

Manwhore. That’s what the board of directors-and the tabloids-thinks of billionaire bachelor Reese Crane. Ordinarily he couldn’t care less, but his playboy past is preventing the board from naming him CEO of Crane Hotels. Nothing-and no one-will keep him from his life’s legacy. They want a settled man to lead the company? Then that’s exactly what he’ll give them.

Merina Van Heusen will do anything to get her parents’ funky boutique hotel back-even marry cold-as-ice-but-sexy-as-hell Reese Crane. It’s a simple business contract-six months of marriage, absolute secrecy, and the Van Heusen is all hers again. But when sparks fly between them, their passion quickly moves from the boardroom to the bedroom. And soon Merina is living her worst nightmare: falling in love with her husband . . .

I really, reaaally wanted to love The Billionaire Bachelor – billionaire heroes are a guilty pleasure of mine, so this book seemed perfect to me. Plus, there’s the whole marriage-of-convenience trope. It’s not a trope I actively go looking for, but I do enjoy it, so I’m disappointed that didn’t really enjoy this book. I was bored most of the time, nearly hated the hero, and couldn’t connect with the writing or characters. This is my first Jessica Lemmon read, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to read any more of her books.

Merina Van Heusen’s family legacy is their boutique hotel – until Merina finds out that her parents are in debt and they decided to sell the hotel without her knowledge. The worst part of it is that they sold it to Reese Crane, upcoming CEO of Crane Hotels, a hotel chain that would get rid of all the uniqueness of Merina’s hotel and turn it into every other sleek, boring hotel. So what does Merina do to protect what she loves? She marches right into Reese’s office and demands that he give her back her hotel.

In this first meeting scene, I was a bit taken aback by Merina. She literally marches into a stranger’s office and starts yelling at him for doing something she can’t really blame him for. It was way over the top and didn’t paint Merina in a good light, and for the rest of the book, I didn’t really warm up to her at all, unfortunately.

Reese Crane didn’t become the rich and powerful man he is by capitulating to others, and he’s not about to start now with a gorgeous woman like Merina. Unfortunately, his bachelor lifestyle paints him in a bad light, making the company board hesitant to name him CEO – so Reese needs to find a wife quick, and who better than a woman who wants something from him? So Reese and Merina strike a deal – they become husband and wife for a short while, and Merina will be given the hotel at the end of their marriage. But what happens when feelings start to grow, and husband and wife start to fall for one another?

The thing that really brought this book down for me was Reese and his attitude towards Merina. I’m getting less and less tolerant of whiny heroes who treat heroines like shit, and that’s basically what Reese is. He’s a complete ass to his wife and his whole “I’ll never fall in love because I’ve been hurt before by caring about someone else” grew annoying after a while. I really wanted him to man up and realize what he and Merina grew to have much more quickly than he did.

I tried to like this one, but I just didn’t have a good experience with it. It’s pretty boring and not at all memorable compared to the many, many billionaire reads out there. I might give the other books in the series a try, since Reese’s brothers intrigued me, but I probably won’t go in with too many expectations.

2 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Billionaire Bad Boys series

  

#1 ~ The Billionaire Bachelor: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Billionaire Next Door: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Oct. 25, 2016)
#3 ~ The Bastard Billionaire: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Feb. 28, 2017)

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Release Day Review: Forevermore by Kristen Callihan

Posted in 3 hearts, Reviews by

Forevermore by Kristen Callihan
Series: Darkest London #7 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Isolated and alone, Sin Evernight is one of the most powerful supernatural creatures in heaven and on earth. As an angel of vengeance, he hunts down the darkest evil, but when his long-lost friend, Layla Starling, needs him, he vows to become her protector. Even though she will be horrified by the man he has become.

Now a famous singer and the toast of London, Layla believes that Sin is only here to guard her from rabid fans and ardent suitors. However, the truth is far more sinister. Desperate to avoid losing Layla a second time, Sin will face a test of all his powers to defeat an unstoppable foe – and win an eternity with the woman he loves.

Forevermore is the seventh and final book of the Darkest London series! I’m sad to see the series end, because I’ve really enjoyed reading it. This mystical, fascinating, paranormal world Kristen Callihan has created is well-written and highly addicted to read. While I didn’t love Forevermore as much as I would’ve like to, I still loved being back in this world and seeing all the previous characters again. If you’re a fan of the series, you probably won’t want to miss this finale!

Sin Evernight is a character whose book I’ve been dying for ever since he was first introduced. He’s a complex hero, and I was ready to know everything about his story. And I absolutely loved that is romance is a friends-to-lovers one. His childhood friend Layla Starling was everything to him until she moved away, though he never forgot her. Now, as a powerful Judgment angel in charge of people’s souls, he’s tasked with protecting Layla as she comes into her newfound powers and paranormal abilities.

Layla thought she was just a normal girl raised by Augustus, her immortal guardian, until sinister things started to happen to her. Turns out she’s so much more than she thought, and as she navigates through this new paranormal world, she’s also reunited by her first friend and love Sin. We get to know her and Sin as childhood friends (which was adorable) and now we also get to know them as they fall in love all over again.

I didn’t particularly connect with Sin or Layla, but I adored their romance. It’s sweet and heartwarming, despite all the craziness that’s happening around them. The main thing that really prevented me from loving Forevermore (which I’m so bummed about, because I loved all the previous books) is that I felt a little lost as I was reading. I think it might’ve been a little too long since the last time I read a Darkest London book, because the plot kind of went over my head, and I couldn’t really catch up to the hows and whys of things going on.

There’s one thing I really did love about Forevermore, however, which was the love story between Augustus, Layla’s guardian and Sin’s mentor, and Lena, Layla’s mother. I found myself utterly hooked onto their star-crossed love – they’re soulmates who are on opposite sides of a war and haven’t been together for centuries. I thought it was a nice touch including their romance, and it definitely made this book more enjoyable.

It’s a bittersweet end for Forevermore, but for fans of the series, it’s an end you don’t want to miss. There are a ton of cameos from previous characters and a pretty epic battle near the end. All in all, it was a good ending to the series, despite my disappointment with not loving it more. And looking at other reviews, this is totally my fault, so if you’re wondering whether to read Forevermore, I say go for it!

3 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Darkest London series

  
  
  

#0.5 ~ Ember: Ebook • Goodreads
#1 ~ Firelight: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Moonglow: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Winterblaze: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3.5 ~ Entwined: Ebook • Goodreads
#4 ~ Shadowdance: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#5 ~ Evernight: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#6 ~ Soulbound: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#7 ~ Forevermore: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

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Release Day Review: Addicted by Elle Kennedy

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

Addicted by Elle Kennedy
Series: Outlaws #2 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: June 28th 2016
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
Source: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review

From the New York Times bestselling author of Claimed comes the second enticingly erotic novel set in a world on the brink of chaos.

Lennox used to live in a paradise on earth with his best friend Jamie, in a place where visitors came and went, allowing their desires to run free. But everything changes when a deadly attack forces them to take up with Connor Mackenzie’s band of Outlaws. Lennox knows Jamie is hung up on someone else, but he’s always believed he’s the man for her—and won’t let her go without a fight.

Even though Jamie is well aware that Lennox is one hot specimen of a man, she refuses to let sex ruin the most important relationship in her life. But when the object of her interest spurns her, she indulges in a little pleasure-filled revenge with her very magnetic, very willing best friend. One thrilling night with Lennox is enough to awaken Jamie’s unexpected desires for him. And now that she’s had a taste, she’s not sure she can ever give him up…

Friends-to-lovers is one of my FAVORITE tropes, though I don’t read it as often as I’d like. I’m picky because there just aren’t very many well-written ones, but Addicted is definitely on the better end of the spectrum. This is book two in the Outlaws series and features Lennox and Jamie, who we met in Claimed. These are two best friends who wholeheartedly believe their relationship is platonic, so I was eager to see how Elle Kennedy would turn that around, and she didn’t disappoint. It takes them a little while to get there, but these two are so meant to be together – their romance is emotional, intense, and surprisingly sweet! Addicted is a fantastic follow-up to this world of Outlaws – if you enjoyed Claimed, you’re more than likely to like Addicted as well.

Jamie and Lennox have been best friends since they were children – there’s no Jamie without Lennox, and vice versa. They’re now shackled up with their friend Connor at his camp, and this change of scenery leads to a change in their relationship. The repressed feelings they’ve had on both sides for years are slowly, finally coming out, especially since Lennox isn’t liking the fact that Rylan, Jamie’s crush, is in close proximity in the camp. Will Lennox finally make his move on the one person he loves in this dangerous, desolate world? Or will he stay cautious to protect their friendship, and miss out on something more?

“You’re my home, Jamie. It doesn’t matter where we go or what happens. As long as you’re with me, I’m home.”

I loved the fact that I got to read a friends-to-lovers romance in a different setting than the usual contemporary world. Not only do Jamie and Lennox have to navigate their way through their newfound and fragile relationship, they also have to keep looking over their shoulders to make sure that Enforcers aren’t out to get them and the people they’re with. The ups and downs of their romance mixed in with the suspense had me on the edge of my seat – the author did a wonderful job balancing those two aspects of the story!

And of course, I can’t write this review without mentioning how damn HOT it is! Tensions have been brewing between Lennox and Jamie for YEARS, so one can only imagine how explosive the chemistry is once they finally get together. And guys, it’s seriously smokin’ in this book. Elle Kennedy know how to write erotica!

One thing that bothered me about Addicted though (even though it’s so dumb), is how all the heroines have masculine names – I honestly couldn’t keep track of who was who. I got Lennox and Jamie mixed up ALL THE TIME, thinking Lennox was the heroine and Jamie the hero. It wouldn’t take me long to realize I’d be reading it wrong, but it was slightly annoying that I had to make the effort to realize who was who.

Overall, Addicted was an addictive read. The dystopian world sucked me in much more than it did in the previous book, and I can only hope it’ll get better throughout the rest of the series. Right now, I’m dying for the next book, Ruled – we’re finally getting Rylan’s story, and it just so happens to be a menage… and I can’t WAIT!

4 hearts
lacey

Quotes are taken from the arc and are subject to change in the final version.

Reading Order: Outlaws series

Claimed by Elle Kennedy  

#1 ~ Claimed: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Addicted: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Ruled: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Nov. 1, 2016)

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Review: Claimed by Elle Kennedy

Posted in 3.5 hearts, Reviews by

Claimed by Elle Kennedy

Claimed by Elle Kennedy
Series: Outlaws #1 (full reading order below)
Publication Date: October 6th 2015
Links: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

The bestselling author of the Killer Instincts novels “knows how to write scorching sexual tension”*. Now she really sets it on fire in a new series about men and women living on the edge of violence, sex, and life and death.

After a devastating war decimated most of the world, Hudson Lane has only known the oppressive life under her own father’s tyranny. She finally escapes, branding herself an outlaw and hunted by the Enforcers. Her best chance at survival is Connor Mackenzie, an aggressively sensual fugitive who opens her eyes to the wicked possibilities of a world without rules.

As the leader of a band of outlaw fighters, Connor can’t resist the beautiful stranger who asks for his protection. Despite his reservations, he agrees to introduce her to a whole new way of life. But when Connor discovers Hudson’s connection to the enemies of liberty, he wonders how far he can trust the woman who has abandoned all inhibitions to challenge every forbidden desire.

If you know me, you know that I love love love Elle Kennedy’s new adult books. But I’ve actually never read an adult book by her, until now. When I first heard of Claimed, it went immediately on my TBR because it’s Elle Kennedy, obviously, but also because of the amazing blurb! Dystopian erotica isn’t a genre I normally delve into, so I thought why not give it a try with the Outlaws series? And if there’s one thing I can say about Claimed, it’s that it. is. freaking. HOT! This is without doubt a panty melter of a book – if you’re a fan of steamy books, check this one out!

In this dystopian world Elle Kennedy has created, cities are tightly, rigorously controlled by the government’s Enforcers, and those who go against the government’s tyranny, the Outlaws, are killed on sight. Connor Mackenzie is reluctantly in charge of a group of Outlaw fighters. He’s a natural-born leader against his wishes, but he’s formed a bond with his band of brothers Rylan, Pike, Xander, and Kade. They’re a tight-knit group, so when a mysterious woman shows up and wants to join their gang, they’re obviously suspicious.

Hudson Lane is on the run, and she knows her best bet for survival is to stick with Connor and his deadly, dangerous men. But she has to prove herself trustworthy first – and it’s tough going, but day by day, she proves that she can keep up with the men and be an integral part of the group. Of course, there’s also the insanely hot chemistry between Hudson and Connor. Their sex is raw, intense, and uninhibited – the steam is definitely the best part of the book.

I was intrigued by the dystopian world at first, but I felt like this aspect of the book was highly overshadowed by the sex. There is just sooo much sex that it was little too much for me at times, and I had to skim past it. I wanted the plot to move forward, but it did at a very slow pace, and we get only a shallow understanding of how the world came to be in Claimed. It’s a shame the world-building wasn’t as developed as I hoped, because it had so much potential!

Though I didn’t connect with the plot, I really did enjoy getting to know all the characters. Connor and Hudson are great together – Connor is an alpha to the max, and Hudson gives as good as she gets. If you don’t like menages, though, this probably won’t be the book for you. I’m excited to see where Elle Kennedy will take us next with the Outlaws series – I’m hoping each of Connor’s men get’s his own book!

3.5 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: Outlaws series

Claimed by Elle Kennedy  

#1 ~ Claimed: Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ Addicted: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#3 ~ Ruled: Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads (Nov. 1, 2016)

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Audiobook Review: The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

Posted in 4 hearts, Reviews by

The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey
Series: The Allure #2 (full reading order below)
Audiobook Publication Date: June 7th 2016
Length: 5 hours and 37 minutes
Narrated by: Sara Ragsdale & Aaron Roberts
Links: Audible • Ebook • Paperback • Goodreads
Source: I received an audiobook in exchange for an honest review

From: LilyNBlack@Gmail.com
To: JosephineKeller@VogueMagazine.com
Subject: You’re a flippin’ idiot

Good morning my dear, naive friend,

I hope you’re enjoying a breakfast of regret and sorrow.

Why?

Because you sent me to work for Dean Harper, aka a control freak in a tailor-made suit. Sure he owns the trendiest restaurants in NYC, but c’mon Jo, his ego makes Kanye West look like the Dalai Lama.

He’s the type of guy that only hears the word “no” when it’s followed by “don’t stop.”

Working for Dean Harper would be like selling my soul to the devil…and before you say anything, I don’t care if the devil has punch-you-in-the-gut brown eyes and an ass to match. My soul isn’t for sale.

Regretfully yours,
Lily

The Allure of Dean Harper is one of my favorite reads from R.S. Grey – she writes the BEST rom-coms, and this one is a fantastic, hilarious enemies-to-lovers one. I’d been eagerly awaiting for the audiobook release, and I enjoyed listening to it as much as I did reading it. If you love listening to romances with endearing, witty characters, and several laugh-out-loud moments, then I highly recommend getting this audiobook!

Lily Black has just moved to New York to follow her dreams of making something of herself in the food industry, and her best friend Josephine (from The Allure of Julian Lefray) gets her a job at her friend Dean’s restaurant. Lily is making a killing at the restaurant’s bar, but when Dean comes in, he doesn’t like the way she’s taken over what belongs to him… and he doesn’t like the lustful feelings he feels for her. So sparks fly, tensions run high, witty banter ensues – R.S. Grey has such a talent at writing fun-filled, hilarious stories that crack you up and you can’t help but enjoy. If you’re a fan of the enemies-to-lovers trope, you definitely don’t want to miss this one.

This was my first time listening to either narrator (though I do think this is their first audiobook narration), but I have to note how much I really loved Aaron Roberts’ narration for Dean! He was really perfect for that character, and I would definitely listen to more audiobooks narrated by him. Sara Ragsdale was a good female narrator, though she did get a little nasally and high-pitched at times. It did fit with Lily’s character, so I’m not complaining too much – I did enjoy for performance overall.

I wish this audiobook could’ve been longer – I didn’t realize how short the story actually was! It’s a little longer than half the length of a normal sized audiobook I usually listen to. So I don’t know if the length is quite worth a credit, but if you own the ebook, the audiobook is only $1.99, so I’d definitely recommend going that route. Otherwise, it’s an incredibly fun audiobook to listen to.

THE ALLURE OF DEAN HARPER is now available on Audible: http://amzn.to/28NSDZQ

4 hearts
lacey

Reading Order: The Allure series

The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey The Allure of Dean Harper by R.S. Grey

#1 ~ The Allure of Julian Lefray: My Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads
#2 ~ The Allure of Dean Harper: Book Review • Ebook • Paperback • Audible • Goodreads

Here’s an audio excerpt from The Allure of Dean Harper!

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